Category: Sighting

Whillet’s Meadow:- Tawny Owl.

WeBS & general bird sightings
All Reservoir Counts (excluding North bank):- 42 Great Crested Grebe, 38 Cormorant, 8 Canada Geese, 6 Mandarin, 37 Mallard plus a brood of at least 6 young seen at Dam End, 4 Buzzard, 2 Moorhen, 6 Coot, 3 Pied Wagtail, 8 Whitethroat, 11 Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff.
North Bank:- 4 Whitethroat, 3 Garden Warbler, 12 Blackcap, 10 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Treecreeper, 4 Bullfinch, 2 Chaffinch.
Dam End:- 1 Little Grebe (in lagoon), 1 Mute Swan, 2 Egyptian Geese, 5 Common Sandpiper on dam wall, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Swallow, 4 House Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Yellowhammer.
West End:-  32 Grey Heron including 1 white leucistic bird, 23 Mediterranean Gull flew over migrating East, 1 Black-headed Gull, 7 Common Tern, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Sand Martin flew over, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Treecreeper, also 2 Terrapins seen.
Whillet’s: 1 Kestrel, 2 Stock Dove, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 2m Reed Bunting.

Butterfly count at Whillet’s:- 5m+3f Orange Tip, 1 Red Admiral, 1m+1f Brimstone, 1 Comma, 1 Speckled Wood, 3 Peacock, 1 Holly Blue.  Also seen 1 Grass Snake.

Dam End:- 2 Coots on lagoon, 4 Common Whitethroat, 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 pairs of Song Thrush.
North Bank:- 4 Common Whitethroat.
West End:- 3 Common Tern,1m Tufted Duck, 2 Coot.
Whillet’s:- 2 Reed Warbler, 2 Reed Bunting, 1m Yellowhammer, 4 Common Whitethroat,1 Kestrel,1 Muntjac Deer.

West End:- Oystercatcher on tern raft.

Dam End:- 2 Yellow Wagtails in horse paddock, 2 Common Whitethroats, 8 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff, 1 Reed Bunting, 2 Song Thrush, 2 House Martins, 1 Coot on lagoon, 1 Mistle Thrush carrying food, 4 Egytpian Geese, 1 Common Gull, 2 Jay, 1 Mandarin, 1 singing Grey Wagtail.
North Bank:- 3 Common Whitethroat, 12 Blackcap, 11 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest.

Dam End:- 1 Wheatear on dam.

There were singing Blackcaps (17), Chiffchaffs (11) Goldcrest (3) and Willow Warbler (1) between the hide and the sailing club on a survey walk this morning. Zero Chaffinches (if people find a singing Chaffinch on this SSSI please report it to “sightings” so that we can count them). The most encountered was Wren with 18 singing. There was 1 Snipe off Pintail Point.

Dam End:- at 11am five Whimbrel flew up the reservoir towards the dam eventually landing in the ploughed field by the sailing club, 1 Kestrel, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull.
West End:- 1m Sparrowhawk.

West End:- 43 Great Crested Grebe, the heronry is very active with nests now containing young, 2m Mandarin, 2m Gadwall, 1 Moorhen, 1 Green Sandpiper (in the new wader scrape area), 1 Kingfisher, 17 Swallow, 1 House Martin, 1 Pied Wagtail.
Dam End:-  2 Egyptian Geese, 7 Pied Wagtail, 1 Common Tern, 15+ Swallows.